WILMINGTON – One of the fastest growing and most costly crimes across the country is identity theft. In 2016, $16 billion was stolen from 15.4 million U.S. consumers as a result of identity theft. That’s compared with $15.3 billion and 13.1 million victims a year earlier. In the past six years identity thieves have stolen over $107 billion.
As a way to curb the growing threat, the North Carolina Department of Justice is sponsoring consumer awareness events by hosting shred-a-thons across the state.
Attorney General Josh Stein is behind the push to help protect residents from identity theft by encouraging the public to shred important documents, including pre-approved credit card offers, old bills, out-of-date account statements and other personal documents that include confidential information.
In Wilmington, two shred-a-thons will be held over the next week.
On Wednesday, April 26, Lowe’s Foods at 5309 Carolina Beach Road will host an event from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Shredding is scheduled to end at 2 p.m., but may end sooner if the shred truck gets filled. There is a limit of three bags or boxes of materials per person.
RE/MAX at 1650 Military Cutoff Road will also host a shred day from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 29. Attendees are limited to (3) three boxes (copy paper box or smaller) or three bags (kitchen trash bag or smaller) per vehicle. There is no need to remove binders, binder clips, paper clips, staples, rubber bands, or CDs/DVDs prior to shredding.
Guard your personal information
Listed below are tips from Attorney General Josh Stein’s office on protection against identity theft.
Protect your Social Security number
- Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
- Give your Social Security Number (SSN) only when absolutely necessary.
- Ask why a SSN is needed, who has access to it, and how it will be kept confidential.
- Don’t print your SSN or driver’s license number on your checks.
Destroy documents you don’t need
- Shred outdated records including bank statements, credit applications, health insurance forms, prescription labels and paperwork, physician statements, etc., along with any receipts that show your credit card number.
Safely dispose of old electronics
- Make sure you have removed all of the personal information your old computer holds before you sell, donate or recycle it. For best results, use a wipe utility program that overwrites everything on the hard drive.
- Transfer phone books, contact lists, etc. to your new phone, and then wipe your old phone completely clean. Consult the owner’s manual, the manufacturer’s recommendations, and your service provider for tips on how to remove all of your old data, histories, photos, etc.
Monitor your finances
- Limit the number of credit cards you carry.
- Watch for missing bills and review your monthly statements carefully. Contact your creditors if a bill doesn’t arrive when expected or includes charges you don’t recognize.
- Review your health care bills and paperwork carefully for signs of medical identity theft. Contact your health plan if a document includes charges you don’t recognize.
- Use automatic deposit for payroll, social security or other federal benefit checks. To sign up for automatic deposit of Social Security checks and other federal benefit payments, call (800) 333-1795 or visit Go Direct.
- Keep copies of credit cards (front and back) in a safe place in case a card is lost or stolen.
- Review your Social Security Earnings and Benefits Statement for errors in your yearly salary. To order a statement, call (800) 772-1213.
- “Opt out” of sharing your nonpublic personal information or credit report information with other businesses.
Watch over your credit reports
- You are entitled to one free credit report each year from each nationwide credit bureau. To get your free report, go to annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.
- To track your credit during the year, request a free report from a different credit bureau every four months.
Protect passwords
- Don’t carry your personal identification numbers (PIN) in your wallet or purse.
- Don’t share PINs or passwords, even with close friends or relatives.
- Avoid using easily available information for your PINs or passwords such as your mother’s maiden name, your or a family member’s birth date, your SSN or phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers (i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4).
- Choose a different PIN for each account.
Beware of scams and frauds
- Never give personal information to telemarketers who call you on the phone. To cut down on unwanted telemarketing calls, sign up for the Do Not Call Registry online or call (888) 382-1222.
- Verify that charities, businesses and others who contact you are who they claim to be before you provide any personal information. If you think the request for information is legitimate, hang up and contact the company at a number you know is valid to verify the request.
- Sign up for alerts to hear about the latest scams.
